Glasgow to Bangkok via Dubai
Friday morning saw me on the bus into town to catch the Airport Express, 45 minutes later I was at the check-in desk passing over my luggage and passing through security, this time everything went smoothly and I left with all my bits, including my iPad. The flight boarded and we left on time and I was fortunate to find myself in a row of 3 seats to myself, it was great to be able to stretch out, as it was an Emirates Airbus A380, there was plenty of room, the service was excellent and there was an extensive range of on-board entertainment available.
The second leg of the journey from Dubai to Bangkok, was also on an A380, however this time the flight was full so it wasn’t as comfortable as the first leg.
On arrival I was picked up at the airport and taken into town to my hotel, I was so glad that this was part of my package as it made things so much easier, I checked in to a very nice and spacious room in the New Siam Palace Ville, a really nice hotel, with a swimming pool, near the middle of the tourist area. after a short while I got a call to say that Peter, a fellow volunteer I met in Sweden was waiting downstairs so after a blether to catch up, we headed out for a stroll, we ended up taking a pleasant tour of the city’s river and canal on a longboat tour before a few beers and a meal.
Bangkok
I had a bit of a lie in this morning to recover from the long journey and Jet lag, (I’m not as young as I used to be, so my powers of recovery are not so good). After a Brunch, I contacted and met Oggy, a guy I met and travelled with while in NZ last year, we returned to Khaosan Road to let him see the hotel he is moving to tomorrow.
After Oggy returned to his hotel, I headed off to the other side of the city to meet up with Peter. His hotel was quite a distance away and when I met him we went to a large shopping mall, Central Rama 9, where we did some people watching, these places are the same the world over, I could have been in any city in the world, it was interesting to find an ice rink in the mall where Thailands Ice Hockey team play. We had dinner in the mall then I took a trip on the metro back towards home, I choose to walk for a bit to reach the hotel rather than taking a taxi as I enjoyed passing some interesting buildings. I then discovered that the new sandals I bought before leaving home are giving me blisters on my feet, so I needed to buy some new ones at some point during the trip. I ended up doing a fair bit of walking as I discovered a street art map/app by chance, and tried to find the locations, I only found 2 of the pieces on it, but there is still a chance of finding more on my return at the end of the month.
Bangkok
After a really nice breakfast in the hotel, I made my way to the Stray Shop to meet Nat, who told me what to expect the next day on our trip North, while there I arranged to have my free 1-hour Massage, as part of my welcome pack at the nearby Shewa Spa, this was one of the best hours I have spent in a long time, I came away feeling so relaxed. I then met up with Oggy and we both headed off to visit the Grand Palace and a few other temples after a quick stop a the Stray Shop to introduce Oggy to Nat the office guru.
As Oggy had previously visited the temples of Bangkok, he returned to his hotel leaving me time do the tourist bits alone. I got back to the hotel just on time to avoid a great thunderstorm and downpour, and after a little rest, I had a refreshing shower before heading back into town to watch Scotland play Samoa in the Rugby World Cup, I was pleased to say they won! Dinner and a few beers with Oggy followed before returning to the hotel to get ready for the next days’ train journey to Chiang Mai. It was another nice day, but I couldn’t wait to get started on our trip.
Bangkok – Arrival – North Thailand – Laos – Cambodia – Bangkok – Departure
Jim's travels 